


hey, girl with a cat, wanna hang out later?

by beezyland



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Agent Canary - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amaya is the Best Bro, Bartender Sara, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Future Doctor Alex, Getting Together, It is a Matchmaker, Meet-Disaster, Past Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Super Brief Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe, The Legends Try to Be Good Bros, alex has a cat, rock climbing cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-08 22:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15253554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beezyland/pseuds/beezyland
Summary: “I think your cat snuck in through my window.”“Maybe you should close your windows.”AU. When Sara moves into a new apartment, she makes a terrible first impression on her next door neighbor, Alex. It's probably best to leave it at that. The universe and Alex's cat seem to have other ideas.





	hey, girl with a cat, wanna hang out later?

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by romkole's [edit that is a masterpiece](https://romkole.tumblr.com/post/175335741584/your-cat-always-sneaks-to-my-apartment-through)! One of many. I saw it and had to write this. C'mon!

The first time Sara Lance meets Alex Danvers it’s in the lobby of their apartment building two weeks after she moves in. The relocation began as a soul-searching mission. She’s young, isn’t in a relationship, doesn’t have kids. Why not go and see what else is out there? Sara just needs a change of pace and National City is a lot warmer than Tibet.

Sara makes it a block away from the train stop before an unexpected summer shower chases her the rest of the way to her building. There are spots on her brown leather jacket and she can feel wetness in her hair, but not all is lost. Her skateboard is fine even if the wheels are slick and that’s the reason it slips out from under her, sails into the mailroom and a female voice lets out a, “Hey!”

Perfect first impression.

If she didn’t love that skateboard so much, she’d probably bolt. Instead, Sara tousles her hair and slaps on a sheepish smile. Charm can be a gift and a crutch, which seems to have no effect on the angry, short-haired badass in a leather jacket who seems around her age, in her twenties, currently bent over (and quite the view), checking some kind of animal carrier that her skateboard is pressed up against.

Fuck.

“That was my bad,” Sara confesses. “Neighbor _s_.”

She emphasizes the s as in plural. Animal people like that sort of thing.

“Yes, it was. Don’t you think you’re a little old for—” She waves a hand down at the skateboard with the silhouette of a voluptuous woman on the grip tape.

“Alternate transportation?” Sara grins. “I’m really sorry. How’s our little…friend?”

“She is a cat.” Sweeping auburn hair away from her eyes, the stranger straightens and shuts her mailbox. 5C. Sara tilts her head, realizing she’s right next to her. They share a wall. Huh. “And this was the last thing she needed after a difficult vet visit.”

Double fuck.

“I’m really sorry,” Sara says and means it. “How can I make it up to you?”

The girl with a cat kind of pauses as if aborting her initial response when she actually looks at Sara for the first time. Sara is aware of how people look at her, both men and women alike. She knows she’s conventionally attractive and it’d be a lie to say she hasn’t used it to her advantage at least once or twice, especially when she was younger and lived carelessly (a year ago probably). The way she looks at Sara is confusing, intriguing. This could be fun or a train wreck.

“Alex!”

A young girl with hair down past her shoulders comes running toward them and starts talking rapidly, bending to peer into the cat carrier. Most would be overwhelmed, but her neighbor’s eyes alight as the two carry on a conversation. The young girl carefully takes the cat carrier as the two start to leave the mailroom.

Daughter? Cousin? Kid she nannies?

Sara starts to follow them, going for casual, not creepy. She backtracks to grab her skateboard and tucks it under one arm. Girl with a Cat and Kid are joined by a brunette who might or might not be Kid’s mom solely based on appearance.

So they’re one big, happy, super young family? Awesome.

Right after the three head into the elevator, Sara dashes forward and slips inside herself, sure to keep her skateboard out of the way and far from the cat.

“What floor?” Kid asks sweetly.

“Five,” Sara answers as if the number isn’t already lit up. She notices the three lit up too.

So no happy family. Soon-to-be happy family?

“Same as Alex!” Kid declares, looking between Sara and Girl with a Cat. “You two are neighbors!”

Alex, huh?

Also, wow at this kid’s energy level.

“I’m Sam and this is my daughter, Ruby.” She’s right about the mom, who holds her hand out. “We’re in 3C. I haven’t seen you around. Are you new to the building?”

“Just moved into 5E. Just moved to the city actually.” Sara shakes Sam’s outstretched hand. “Sara.”

“You skateboard?” Ruby asks, moving into Sara’s space, practically buzzing. “That’s so cool! I always wanted to learn!”

“I could teach ya if that’s cool with your mom, of course,” Sara says, deferring to Sam.

The dark-haired mother who must have given birth young, maybe in her teens, or discovered the fountain of youth takes a moment to think it over. “There would have to be elbow pads and knee pads and helmets involved.”

“Deal!” Ruby agrees.

“We’d probably have to practice outside,” Sara says, shooting Alex a look. “Wouldn’t want to disturb any of the other tenants, kids skateboarding in the building can make for grumpy neighbors and bad first impressions.”

Just then, the elevator doors slide open on the third floor.

“Well, this is us,” Sam announces. “It was nice meeting you, Sara. If you ever need anything, you know where to find us.”

“I’m going to take you up on those skateboarding lessons!” Ruby shouts while her mom rolls her eyes, but smiles from just behind her.

“Stop by anytime.” Sara gives her the gun fingers, which she knows she’s just cool enough to pull off. A soft scoff comes from her side and the blonde can see Alex shake her head slightly in her peripheral. It’s more exasperated than anything.   

The elevator doors creak back closed, leaving Sara and Alex standing together in silence, the cat carrier between them. Sara keeps looking down, hoping to catch sight of the critter, but all she can see is a large round shadow through the slits in the side of the carrier.

“Are all the other tenants that friendly?” Sara asks.

“More or less.” Alex shrugs slender shoulders encased in worn leather. “They don’t get nicer than Sam and Ruby, though.”

“You close?”

Another shrug. “I look after Ruby when Sam gets stuck at work sometimes.”

That doesn’t answer her question or doesn’t answer the more specific question in Sara’s head. It almost feels like Alex is being purposefully vague, which isn’t surprising. They are strangers. In the very least, she seems less annoyed now. Alex steals a glance her way just to look straight forward a moment later. She’s somehow standoffish yet bumbling at the same time and why is that attractive?

When the elevator doors part on their floor, Sara holds her arm out and motions for Alex to walk ahead. With a courteous nod, Alex steps forward and digs into a pocket for her keys. Sara fishes for her own keys that dangle on a canary keychain her sister got her years ago.

“I didn’t catch your cat’s name,” Sara says once she gets to her front door.

Alex raises her eyebrows, surprised that she’d ask. “Little Grey.”

Well, that’s cute.

“So, how can I make it up to Little Grey?” Sara asks.

An impish smile lights up Alex’s face and Sara can’t help how it makes her interest skyrocket.

“We’ll think about it,” Alex says before ducking into her apartment. “Welcome to National City.”

 

…

 

“Sara, we’re going to miss the movie!” Ray complains. “We’ve only waited an entire year to find out if the Legends can reverse the effects of the Spear of Destiny and fix all of time!”

“Of course they’re going to reverse the effects of the Spear of Destiny!” Nate argues. “They’re having a White Canary solo movie next summer. Of course they need to right the timeline before then! That’s the consequences of a shared cinematic universe, bro.”

Sara just ignores the both of them, sitting by the window of her apartment, gazing down at the street below.

“You’re better off making yourself comfortable,” Zari says from the couch where she’s perusing a catalogue full of knives Sara keeps on the coffee table to entertain guests as adults do or whatever. “I told you the seven o’clock movie would’ve worked better.”

Amaya makes a sound of agreement. “Don’t you boys know anything?”

“But we’re just sitting here!” Nate mimes ripping out his hair. “Why can’t we just go now? It’s not like we’re doing anything.”

“Don’t you fools know Sara at all?” Jax scoffs at them, helping himself to a box of cereal (Beebo O’s) by the handful. “It’s almost six fifteen.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?” Nate asks.

“Wait for it,” Amaya says, eyeing the clock on her cell phone. “Three...two...one…”

The countdown concludes with the roar of a motorcycle engine and Sara has to press her lips together to keep from smiling too widely. She feels the disturbance in the air as Nate and Ray rush over to see what made them miss their movie time and it is a worthy sight to Sara, at least. Alex parks her mostly black, old-school motorcycle in her usual spot, late summer sunlight reflecting off of all the chrome finishings.

“Wait,” Ray says. “Are we checking out the woman or the bike?”

“That bike is dope,” Jax calls out. “1962 BSA Star if I had to guess. Sara won’t let me ask even though I told her it’d be a great conversation starter.”

“The bike is cool. The lady isn’t too bad either,” Sara adds, watching Alex dismount the beast of a machine. Sometimes she likes to imagine what it would feel like to take it for a spin, speeding down a remote stretch of road outside of the city, weaving around cars, hands gripping the handles or gripping Alex’s waist, Sara isn’t picky.

“Wait, hold up,” Nate says as if a light bulb just went off in his head. “Is _the_ Great Sara Lance _pining_? You’re the biggest chick magnet I know! You’ve never had a problem picking up girls or guys before. Have you talked to her?”

“I scarred her cat for life when my skateboard crashed into its carrier.”

“Yeah, I can see how that could be a turn-off,” Nate muses.

“Have you apologized?” Ray asks. “Women usually like that sort of thing.”

The spell breaks once Alex enters the front of the building and Sara pops up from her seat. “Alright! Why don’t we try out that pizza place before the next movie showing?”

“I’m one step ahead of you, sis.” Jax shoves another fistful of cereal into his mouth before tossing Sara’s jacket to her.

By the time everyone shuffles out into the hallway and Sara turns to lock her apartment, the elevator doors slide open, revealing Alex in what must be her favorite leather jacket with her helmet resting against her hip.

“Neighbor,” Sara greets her.

Alex nods back. And that has been the extent of their interactions since that first meet-disaster.

“So we couldn’t help, but notice your bike,” Nate says, because he would be the one to say something. “We heard it before we actually saw it, but hey, you know, Sara loves motorcycles. She used to have one. She treated it like it was her child.”

Zari snorts with laughter. “Until she drove it off Oliver Queen’s yacht tryin’a pop a wheelie at Merlin’s surprise birthday party. I told you you wouldn’t be able to make it. Easiest fifty bucks I ever made.”

“The Tryimph Thruxton 1200 R,” Jax sighs. “RIP.”

“Not that Sara isn’t responsible,” Ray insists.

Realizing what the story might imply, Nate’s eyes widen. “No! Sara is like the most responsible! She’s like the mom of our group if moms were badass and hot and super intimidating.”

“Alright, enough of this.” Sara gives both Nate and Ray hard shoves toward the elevator. “Catch ya later, neighbor.”

Amaya and Zari round all of the boys into the elevator and their noisy chatter along with them. Sara pauses just long enough to hear Alex walk into her apartment and greet her cat in a sweet, high-pitch voice and smiles to herself before chasing after her nosy ass friends.

 

…

 

The first time Sara actually sees her neighbor’s cat with her own two eyes is inside of her own apartment.

In the heart of the summer, it’s as if the sun never stops shining in National City. Sara uses an empty bottle of whisky turned on its side to keep the window propped open so air can circulate through the apartment. She’s just about to leave for her shift at the bar when she hears the bottle thud against the floor and the window slam shut.

When Sara goes to investigate, she sees a blur of white dash underneath the couch. She nearly jumps onto the nearest chair, but somehow remains calm, creeps forward and gets down to peek under the couch. That’s when she’s met by a pair of wide blue eyes staring right back at her.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” Sara sings, but the cat remains in place and perfectly still. “Are you Little Grey? But you’re white. And I’m talking to a cat.”

Not wanting to be known as the new girl who’s always late, Sara knows she should really leave soon. She has half a mind to prop the window back open and hope the cat shows itself out when it’s hungry or its owner calls it. Then again, Laurel paid for and sent her most of the furniture as a surprise housewarming present and the last thing she wants is for her sister to visit and discover all the brand new upholstery clawed to death.

Sara decides to call in an expert, pops over next door and knocks.

The door swings open after the third knock and wow, Girl with a Cat looks good even in a Stanford hoodie and sweatpants, a pint of ice cream in the hand she didn’t use to open the door. “Can I help you?”

“Hey.” Sara leans against the doorframe coolly. It’s just where she’s most comfortable. “I think your cat snuck in through my window.”

“Maybe you should close your windows.” Alex blinks as if just realizing her words. “But—I could have sworn she was—”

“A white blur with blue eyes? Hard to tell when she’s hiding under my couch, but I didn’t see any gray. Unless your cat doesn’t match that description then you can get back to your hot night with Ben and Jerry.”

“Ha ha,” Alex says sarcastically, setting down her ice cream on the nearest flat surface. “Lead the way.”

Sara can’t help, but smirk. “Inviting yourself over already? I usually like to learn a person’s last name before we get to that part, maybe have dinner first.”

Alex walks past Sara with the roll of her eyes and literally invites herself into the next apartment over. “You said she’s under the couch?”

“Last I checked...”

Alex bends over to look under the couch and Sara tries not to stare as she does it, but fails miserably. “I don’t see anything.”

A quiet, throaty meow draws both of their attention and there’s the cat with a silky, chalk white coat out in the open, lounging on top of Sara’s skateboard like she owns it. The cat indeed has patches of gray fur and a mostly gray tail. She's also wearing a collar covered in rainbow strands of DNA.

Hmm.

“What are you doing over here? How did you even get out?” Alex bends as she talks to the cat who sits up, ears pointed straight in the air. “Maybe our neighbor should close her windows.”

“And leave my new friend stranded on the fire escape?” Sara asks. “Never.”

“Alright, Little Grey, let’s go home.” Alex gives the cat a pointed stare, prompting it to hop off the skateboard and rub up against Alex’s ankles in a way that’s simultaneously loving and apologetic. Alex scoops the cat up with ease and Little Grey immediately climbs up to sit on her shoulder, looking back at Sara with two very big, very blue eyes. Before she leaves completely, Alex pauses at the front door and meets Sara’s eyes. “It’s Danvers. Alex Danvers. And yours?”

“Sara Lance.”

“Thank you, Sara. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“It’s not a problem, really.”

Alex smiles and waves in this awkward yet cute way before disappearing back into her apartment. Sara ignores the warmth blooming in her chest and grabs her skateboard, but doesn’t leave before picking up the bottle and propping the window back open.

 

…

 

Little Grey ends up in Sara’s apartment more often than not. At first, the cat keeps her distance, investigating every inch of Sara’s studio apartment, peering up at her from under the coffee table, walking along the fireplace mantel and knocking down the one photo Sara has framed and on display—one of her with her parents and sister. In turn, Sara gives her space until Alex knocks on the door or Little Grey shows herself out.

By the time the weather gets cooler and fall arrives, coming home to find Little Grey playing with Ray’s fidget cube he always forgets at her place, becomes pretty normal.

Then Mick shows up at her front door with a large rectangular cage and a gray rat inside.

Sara holds the door mostly closed so he can’t barge inside. “Uh, Mick, what do you think you’re doing here?”

“I’m going out of town for a few and someone needs to watch Axl.”

Sara nearly groans. She told Ray getting Mick a rat for Christmas was a bad idea. “No.”

“You owe me.”

“How do you figure, Mick?”

“That time _someone_ was hitting on the biker dude’s chick in front of the biker dude and started a bar fight, who was there to back that _someone_ up?” Mick pounds a fist against his chest proudly.

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“Yeah, well, f-f- _friends_ do that shit for each other.”

Mick nearly pops a blood vessel forcing himself to use the f-word. It almost makes Sara break her mask of indifference.

“Are you and Snart involved in some pyramid scheme again?” she asks.

“Just take Axl and don’t forget to feed him!”

“Fine, fine.” Sara pushes her door the rest of the way open so Mick can place the large rat cage right on the coffee table. Axl is a lot larger than Sara remembers. The bag of rat food Mick drops next to the cage looks like at least a few months worth.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, Axl.” Mick strokes the rat with the crooking motion of his finger. “Auntie Sara will take good care of you and if she doesn’t, daddy will set everything she loves on fire.”

“Nice motivational speech, Mick.” Sara sits heavily on the couch, ignoring the whole Auntie Sara part. All she has to do is make sure it has food and water. How hard can that be?

When she comes home to Axl squealing madly and a cat hissing, Sara finds out just how hard it can be. She flips on the lights to find Axl running angry circles, kicking up the dry bedding and sending his toys rattling against the cage walls. It takes Sara a minute to find the source of the hissing, but then she looks up and finds Little Grey perched on the very top of the tallest bookcase, body scrunched low, ears flattened, showing off her sharp teeth. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think Little Grey is scared. A cat scared of a rat?

“Hey, you’re okay,” Sara tells Little Grey. When Axl continues to squeak loudly, Sara tosses a blanket over the cage and brings the whole thing to the bathroom. “Just calm down, alright, Axl? You aren’t helping and technically, she was here first.”

Sara shuts the bathroom door and it’s immediately quieter.  

Now, how to get the cat down from the bookshelf?

Treats!

Around week three, Sara, walking around the grocery store, noticed cat treats on sale. She tossed a small package into her cart and when she got home, Little Grey was waiting, stretched out in the sunlight filtering through the window. Though the cat was wary about eating the treat directly from her hand, when she put the treat down on a plate and left it on the floor, Little Grey inched closer and closer and eventually ate it.

Sara repeats the process now, placing a treat on a plate and leaving it at the foot of the bookshelf. Little Grey remains in place, tracking Sara’s every movement with shifty eyes. At least she isn’t hissing anymore and put her fangs away. Sara sits on the floor not too far away and texts Amaya for advice. She is a vet tech after all. Sara doesn’t know how long she sits there, but eventually Little Grey hops down from the bookshelf, bypasses the plate altogether and crawls into Sara’s lap, her little body curled up and trembling hard.

“You’re alright…” Sara places a tentative hand on the cat and cards her fingers through her fur. With her other hand, she thumbs out another text to Amaya.

_I have the cat. She’s still scared and shaking_

Amaya’s reply comes quick:

_Smoosh the cat!_

Sara tilts her head confusedly. _What?_

_Trust me_ , Amaya replies. _Smoosh the cat against your body. It’ll make her feel safe_

Sara shrugs, rolls with it and smooshes the cat up against her, continuing to whisper soft words. If you told her a few months ago that she’d be sitting on the floor of her new apartment, comforting a cat, Sara would have probably laughed. Now, as Little Grey slowly starts to calm down, Sara can’t help, but feel warm and proud.

When Alex knocks and Sara moves out from under Little Grey to answer the door, the cat moans in protest. Alex doesn’t even have to say anything. The cat runs up to her, nuzzling against the leg of her owner’s dark jeans. Little Grey surprises them both by prancing back over to Sara, weaving between her ankles and rubbing up against her as well.

“Huh.” Alex sounds surprised. “She actually likes you.”

“She isn’t so bad herself.” Sara squats down to pet the cat, but the sudden movement has Little Grey darting away fearfully. Alex is quick enough to stop her before she can escape out into the hallway.

“No, you don’t get it,” Alex says. “When I first found her… Never mind. Forget it. Thanks again. Maybe I’m the one who should shut my window.”

“No,” Sara replies, then catches herself and tries to play it off. “I mean, I don’t mind. I think I’m turning into a cat person.”

Alex laughs. “Careful what you wish for.”

When Mick finally comes back for Axl, a solid week after he said he would, Sara is sure to remind him it’s a debt paid and not to drop by unannounced with pet-sitting needs again.

“Why not?” Mick asks gruffly, sure to make his voice deeper after his high-pitch, sappy reunion with his rat. “Chicks dig rats.”

“No, they don’t,” Sara disagrees.

Not the ones she likes having over anyway.

 

…

 

Sara doesn’t think anything of it when Amaya invites her to lunch and suggests they meet at the gym where Nate taught yoga when he was trying to put himself through school. A weird request, but with her group of friends, Sara has learned to embrace weird.

“Why did you want to meet here?” Sara asks.

“There’s something you have to see.” Amaya seizes Sara by the arm and drags her into the gym that’s largely dedicated to indoor rock climbing. Before she can ask, Sara spots a familiar auburn-haired girl and an even more familiar white cat with a gray tail. Alex kisses the cat on the head before placing Little Grey on one of the rock climbing holds of the rock wall.

“Come on, Little Grey!” A blonde cheers from where she’s sitting at the very top of the wall that has to be at least thirty feet up. “You can do it!”

Everyone in the gym stops to watch as this cat moves from one colorful hold to next, pausing to calculate in between, her mostly gray tail slowly swinging back and forth. The only time Sara tears her eyes away is to glance at Alex, still on the ground and harnessed, watching with nervous eyes and her lip between her teeth. So worried, so focused, ready to jump in if anything were to happen. What a cat mom. It’s weirdly attractive.

There’s a collective gasp in the room when Little Grey slips off one hold, but manages to catch herself on the lower one. The cat doesn’t chicken out, eyeing the next hold, stretching and hooking her front legs over it, then moving her paws, climbing and climbing until she makes it to the very top and into the arms of the blonde. No one cheers louder or smiles wider than Alex, who praises her cat once the blonde with glasses descends down the wall with Little Grey securely in her arms.

“That was impressive,” Sara says, inviting herself over. Little Grey lifts her head at the sound of Sara’s voice, suddenly alert, deep blue eyes darting around. “I didn’t know my occasional house guest was such an athlete.”

“Occasional house guest?” the girl with the glasses asks, handing Little Grey back to her owner.

“Kara, this is my neighbor, Sara. Kara is my sister.”

“Oh, so you’re _that_ neighbor.” Kara tilts her head toward Alex, but keeps her beaming smile on Sara. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” Sara smirks, but only a little. “All glowing compliments I bet.”

“Oh, the way Alex tells it—”

Alex elbows her little sister in the side. “Hey Kara, weren’t you just saying something about getting Little Grey some water and smoothies for us?”

“Right,” Kara says. “That I’m definitely putting on your tab.”

Kara flashes the two of them a knowing smile before unhooking her harness and heading to the juice bar. She’s cute too. It must run in their family.

Little Grey cries out and squirms in Alex’s arms before vaulting forward and right onto Sara’s shoulder. It takes her by surprise, but Sara manages to relax once Little Grey finds her balance and nuzzles up against Sara’s neck. In the next moment, Little Grey leaps back onto the rock wall, eyes focused and calculating once again as she begins her ascent.

“Did you teach her to do that?” Sara juts her chin toward the cat squaring up and leaping to a higher climbing hold.

“My sister saw a video of it online and I figured we’d give it a try. She climbs the bookshelves enough.” Alex shrugs. Yeah, Sara knows that well. “At first, I wasn’t sure she’d like it. Too much noise and the lights in the gym, but as you can see, once she puts her mind to something, she’s gone.”

“Something tells me she gets that from you.”

“Yeah, well, anyway, I should get up there…” Alex motions to the wall where Little Grey has a clear head start. Flustered all of sudden, Alex dusts off her chalked up hands and gets a grip on the rubber holds.

“I’m such a good friend,” Amaya whispers, moving to stand next to Sara.

“You are a great friend.” Sara can’t suppress her smile, hanging her arm around Amaya’s neck.

Even as Amaya heads to the exit because she actually intends to go to lunch, Sara lingers to take in the sight of Alex stretching and flexing and the way her tank top rides up just a little as she expertly conquers the rock wall. Little Grey is already at the top, peering down, all of her attention on her human.

Her neighbors just get more and more impressive and easier to talk to.

 

…

 

After a brutal closing shift at work, Sara just wants to crawl into bed and sleep for the next ten hours. Zero distractions. Unadulterated, uninterrupted sleep. Just as the elevator doors open on her floor, she sees a dark-haired woman walk out of Alex’s apartment, shutting the door after her. This late at night/early in the morning? Alex doesn’t seem like the booty call type and the somber expression on the woman’s face isn’t what you’d expect from someone who just got laid.

Sara makes eye contact and nods and the woman nods back, but looks away quickly as if to hide how she’s near tears. Just as Sara unlocks her front door she hears it—

Quiet, mournful cat sounds. One after the other after the other, steadily growing in volume.

“Little Grey?” Sara crouches down and taps her fingernails against Alex’s front door. “What’s going on, cat? Are you okay?”

More sad cat sounds follow. What if something happened? What if Alex is unconscious or something? Cats are known to get help if their human is in trouble, right? Or was that dogs? Sara sizes up the door. She’s never tried to kick down a door before and she knows it isn’t as easy as it looks in movies and on TV.

“Alex.” Sara knocks firmly on the door. “Everything okay?”

Suddenly, the door swings open and Sara nearly falls forward. Alex stands over her and not even the dim lighting can hide how puffy and wet her eyes are. The fact that she’s trying so hard to hide it might be more painful than actually seeing her cry. “Are you seriously trying to comfort my cat through my front door?”

Sara stands slowly, unsure how to answer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

But things clearly aren’t fine. Alex is clearly upset. Something that has to do with the woman who just left? And Little Grey is perceptive enough to know something is wrong, to feel her owner’s pain and share in it.

Before Sara can stop herself, she blurts out, “Did she kick the cat?”

Alex barks out a laugh that surprises even herself. “No, she didn’t kick the cat. Maggie wouldn’t…”

“Did she kick you?” Sara asks softly.

_Did she kick your heart? Break it?_

Alex purses her lips and looks down instead of answering right away. Bingo. When silence follows, Sara’s ready to apologize, it really isn’t any of her business, she knows, but then Alex looks back up and her eyes are hard with something like determination. “Do you want to come in for a drink? Crap, I mean, it’s late. I’m sure you’d rather just go to bed— _your bed_ , not—”

“Seeing as I just spent the last ten hours on my feet, serving other people alcohol, I’d love a drink,” Sara says. Alex steps aside and motions her through the door. Her studio apartment is similar to Sara’s in size and layout. Lots of grays and creams, earthy tones with pops of color with the choice of pillows and curtains. The apartment is mostly dark, the fireplace acting as the main source of light. There’s a plastic jack-o’-lantern on the coffee table and candy wrappers scattered around it. Little Grey sits up very straight and meows, obviously seeking attention.

“Hey there.” Sara sits on the couch next to the cat that places her two front paws on Sara’s thigh and stretches. “Oh how the tables have turned. It’s me visiting you for once.”

“Despite my best efforts, my cat has zero manners.” Alex swipes an extra glass out of one of the kitchen cupboard and pours Sara a generous glass of Scotch. Alex hands Sara the glass and sits, watching in amazement as Little Grey rubs up against Sara and twists onto her back. “It’s crazy how much she likes you.”

“I’m just as surprised,” Sara confesses, stroking down Little Grey’s soft underbelly. “I’ve always been more of a bird person.”

“No, I mean, it took her ages to warm up to Maggie, even Kara and she’s still wary of men in general, but you…” Alex takes a big gulp from her own glass. “When I first found Little Grey, she was flea-infested, underweight, rat bites all over, half-dead. To make things worse, these kids were poking at her, torturing her in the alley behind the dumpster.”

“Hope you kicked their asses.”

“I told them I was FBI, animal cruelty was a misdemeanor and scared them off. I took Little Grey to the nearest vet. She almost didn’t make it through the night, but she did and I couldn’t just drop her off at a shelter. We've been inseparable ever since. She’s always been wary of everything and everyone except you.”

Sara hums, giving Little Grey an extra scratch. “She’s a fighter. Maybe we’re just kindred spirits like that.”

Alex shakes her head slightly, but smiles behind her glass. “So you’re a bartender?”

“Yup. Listening to people’s problems usually costs extra, but I’m open to making exceptions.”

“Nice segue.” Alex chuckles and finishes her glass. “My ex has been asking me to send her her passport for...a while now and I’ve been putting it off so she decided to just show up. We each said some things and she left.”

Ex. Her. Well.

Sara doesn’t like to make assumptions. She doesn’t like to get her hopes up. Taking a sip of Scotch, Sara keeps any drastic emotion at the revelation off her face. It’s good she was raised by a human lie detector cop of a father and had a lot of practice perfecting her poker face because Alex meets her eyes then, tentative, as if afraid of her reaction, afraid to see disgust or something. That hesitation, that fear never really goes away so Sara smiles warmly.

“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t because you fell and couldn’t get up.” Sara turns her attention to the cat lounging between them. “Does Little Grey do that often?”

“What? Cry when I cry?” Alex laughs miserably and extends a hand toward the cat who immediately smashes her face into her owner’s palm. “I wouldn’t say often. She does have a way of knowing what I’m feeling before I even do…” Alex pats her lap and Little Grey leaps over and curls up on top of her. “Aaand you must think I’m a crazy cat person.”

“Not crazy,” Sara insists. “My friend, Amaya, she’s a vet tech. She once told me cats probably just see us as giant, hairless, ugly cats who are terrible at being cats. The more time I spend around this one, the more I’m starting to believe it.”

“Okay, that’s a little crazy.”

“Said the crazy cat person,” Sara teases. Something next to the jack-o’-lantern catches her eye. “Who apparently dressed her cat up for Halloween? Is that…?”

“Yes, she was Supergirl.” Alex laughs at the memory and it’s nice to see her laugh, the instant joy at the mention of her cat. “And she _hated_ it. My sister bought the costume and getting Grey into it was a nightmare!”

Alex shifts closer to show Sara pictures on her phone and she's a dizzying combination of fresh out of the shower and hard liquor. If Sara leans in so their shoulders touch as they finish their drinks and swipe through so many photos of Little Grey, Alex doesn’t move away. As nice as sleep sounded, this is nice too.

 

…

 

As much as Sara likes Alex, it’s clear Alex isn’t in a place where she needs her neighbor hitting on her all the time. They broke ground the other night. Alex clearly doesn’t hate her. They might be on their way to being friends or at least neighbors on good terms so Sara ignores the feverish, increasingly sexy dreams she’s been having about the girl with a cat next door and explores her other options.

Other options as in Ava Sharpe.

It started out as mutual annoyance, Ava nagging Sara about her inability to pick up her large packages in the office in a timely manner and confrontations over multiple noise complaints from other tenants. Somehow mutual annoyance boiled down to mutual attraction. Ava is the building manager, which can be so bad for Sara as a tenant if things go sideways, but what’s life without a few risks?

They have a nice dinner at a nice restaurant and when Sara invites her up to her apartment for a drink after, it surprises her when Ava agrees.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” Ava says, voice full of sarcastic amusement. Sara hasn’t so much as hung a picture frame besides the one that she now keeps on the coffee table because Little Grey would knock it off the mantel at every opportunity. All the furniture is what her sister sent her. There are still cardboard boxes waiting to be unpacked in every corner of the room.

“Thanks,” Sara says anyways. “I try.”

Before she can ask what Ava would like to drink (her liquor selection, most of which she pilfered from work might be the most impressive thing in the apartment except Sara herself, of course) Ava lets out a loud sneeze once, twice, three times. Sara turns to look at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Ava sniffles. “Wow. This is just, my allergies are acting up out of nowhere.”

Another series of sneezes. One, two, three. Sara grabs a nearby tissue box and offers it to her date who takes one and blows her nose until it’s red and her eyes water.

Ava sniffles again, louder. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cat, would you? No, I’d know if you did. You’d have to state it in your application and pay the pet deposit and monthly fee.”

Sara’s mind zeroes in on the package of cat treats on her kitchen island just behind her and she shifts ever so slightly to block Ava’s view of it. Then movement catches her eye. Something gray and fluffy hanging out of the empty shoe box from the new Doc Martens she splurged on. Fingers crossed Little Grey is wary enough of Ava to stay hidden and still. Though Ava seems too preoccupied with the allergy attack to notice much.

“Maybe we should pick this up another time,” Sara suggest. _At your place_ , she adds in her head. “If you aren’t feeling well…”

“No, I—achoo!” Ava sneezes again and smiles coyly. “Some other time then?”

“I’ll text you.” Sara walks her to the door and hangs out in the hallway until the elevator doors shut behind her. Then she marches back into her apartment and turns her attention to the cat that comes tumbling out of the shoebox. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, cat. You just sabotaged my date.”

Little Grey just stares up at her, on her back, with her paws curled over, the picture of innocence. Sara picks up the cat the way she’s seen Alex do before—one hand supporting her torso and the other under her, squishing the cat to her body. When Alex answers her door, there’s a pencil tucked behind her ear and there’s that Stanford hoodie yet again, her feet bare against the hardwood floor.

“Your cat just ruined my date.”

Alex’s lips curl up in a smile. “That’s a very serious allegation, Miss Lance.”

“It isn’t an allegation. It’s a fact.”

“How exactly did my perfectly trained, well-behaved cat ruin your date?”

Sara shifts Little Grey who instinctively climbs up onto her shoulder and makes herself comfortable. “Ava from management is allergic to cats. She couldn’t stop sneezing the second she walked into my apartment and she was out the door before I could pick out the perfect wine.” Alex falls against the doorframe with laughter. “It’s not funny!”

“It’s a little funny.”

“Um, no. She started asking if I had a cat and if so, why haven’t I stopped by the office to pay the pet deposit and monthly fee?”

Alex continues to laugh and being this loose and amused, it really is a good look on her. “I get it. Those pet fees are no joke.” Alex pushes her door open enough for Sara to see the study guides and papers open on the table. “I guess I should invite you in since my criminal cat is attached to you.”

“You look a little busy?”

“MCAT prep, but I’m also having a beer so. Want one? I could use a break anyway.”

“Sure. Medical school, huh?” Sara whistles.

“Yeah.” Alex smiles almost bashfully as she grabs a glass bottle from the refrigerator, pops off the top and hands it off. “I took a year off after undergrad. Medical school is the next step.”

“That’s going to be a lot of long days and nights.”

“Tell me about it.” Alex leans over and tickles her cat underneath her chin. “At least Grey has a friend next door for when I’m in class and she needs someone to torment.”

“She ruined my date and I’m still hanging out with her. Literally.” Sara runs a hand down Little Grey’s silky coat over and over as the ball of fur purrs contently. “I'd be lying if I said I hated it.”

Alex grins widely, but catches herself and clears her throat. “So you and Ava Sharpe, huh? Can’t say I expected that.”

“Oh yeah. Didn’t you get the memo? Badass, authoritative women who melt into puddles of awkward are my type apparently.”

“That’s a very specific type.”

“And what’s your type, Future Doctor Danvers?”

Alex shrugs, both with her shoulders and the beer bottle in her loose grip. “Women.”

“Really?” Sara lifts a single eyebrow. “I never would’ve guessed.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a smartass?”

“Only all the time. My sister pretty much has that covered.” Sara sips her beer and licks her lips. “If you like beer, my friends own a brewery, the Waverider Brewing and Barrel House downtown. You should come with sometime. Hang with me and you might even drink for free.”

“How am I supposed to argue with that?” Alex clinks her beer bottle against Sara’s.

Maybe tonight didn’t turn out so bad after all.

 

…

 

A week before she flies back to see her family for Thanksgiving, Sara wakes up to a swipe of claws across her neck.

She jolts awake and finds Little Grey’s big eyes on her. It takes a moment, but then she smells something burning and notices smoke filling her apartment, slithering in from beneath her front door.

Thinking fast, Sara grabs a hoodie from off the floor and wraps Little Gray in it to keep her bundled up and easier to carry. Feeling the cat trembling, Sara squishes her close to her body and slips her feet into a pair of sneakers. She crawls out her window onto the fire escape and stares over at Alex’s window that's propped open by a thick anatomy book.

“Alex!” Sara shouts. No answer. Holding Little Grey as securely as she can, Sara crouches down to try to look into the apartment. It seems dark and empty, but she can’t see into the bathroom or the bed area from where she is. An explosion shakes the building and shattered glass rains down on them.

Sara wraps both arms around Little Grey and tucks her head down as she waits for it to pass. “Don’t worry, cat. I’ve got you.”

“Sara!”

The blonde looks down to find Alex staring up at her from the pavement, a hand over her eyes to block out the sun and her motorcycle helmet under one arm.

“Don’t worry!” Sara shouts back. “I’ve got the cat!”

There’s no time to admire the mix of concern and exasperation on Alex’s face as Sara starts to climb down the rickety, wobbly fire escape, taking it step by step. She has to stop several times when Little Grey starts wiggling, and whispers soft reassurances. Once her feet hit the pavement, Sara let’s out a series of coughs, but smiles despite the terrible circumstances. It doesn’t surprise her when Alex practically drags her across the street to safety, where the other tenants have relocated (including Sam and Ruby) and watch the firefighters at work. It does surprise her when Alex throws her arms around her in a hug, but Sara leans into the embrace nonetheless.

“Thank God you got out,” Alex whispers into her blonde hair that smells like smoke. “Does anything hurt? You have a scratch on your neck.”

Sara feels fine, but also knows her adrenaline is pumping right now. She doesn’t even feel the scratch. She does feel Alex’s warm hands on her, meticulously checking her for even the smallest sign of injury.

“Meow!” Little Grey’s head pops out from where she has been swathed and snug against Sara’s stomach.

“You too.” Alex takes Little Grey’s face between her hands, rubbing the cat's cheeks with her thumbs. “Sara, I don’t know how to repay you. I don't know what I would've done if... Thank you.”

“I was asleep. Little kind of saved me hence the wake up scratch.”

“I’m glad.” Alex brings her hand to Sara’s neck, letting her fingers run over the skin just around the angry red scratch. “If you want my professional opinion...I think you’ll survive.”

“So you won’t be nursing me back to health?” Sara exaggerates a frown.

Alex rolls her eyes then shrugs off her leather jacket, wrapping it around Sara and zipping it up to just below Little Grey’s chin. The cat must like the added warmth and security, cuddling up to Sara even more.

They both turn their attention to their building then. No fire in sight, but smoke is still billowing out of the main hallway windows and the opposite side of the building from their units. Ava is taking charge on the ground, directing people left and right. She pauses when she catches sight of Sara and her eyes dart down to the cat stuffed into her jacket. They make eye contact before Ava shakes it off and gets back to work.

Fuck.

Alex laughs and tries to cover it with her hand, but that does nothing to hide her amusement. “I'm sorry. I know it’s completely inappropriate, but you’re totally busted.”

Sara groans. “She must think I’m an asshole.”

Alex shifts her lips from side to side. “Something tells me if anyone can charm their way out of coming off like an asshole, it’s you.”

“I’m not saying I consider it my superpower, _but_....”

“Is that what this is?” Alex leans over until her head rests against Sara’s shoulder. “You have me and my cat under some kind of spell?”

Sara hums and when she turns ever so slightly her lips brush against Alex’s forehead. Too much, too fast, she nearly cringes, but Alex tilts her head further so their eyes meet. It’s crazy how far they’ve come from that first time they met in the mailroom. Sara doesn’t think she has to actually say this. She thinks Alex knows.

Ruby runs over to them then with Sam chasing after her. Even as Ruby pets Little Grey and Sam shares that everyone got out of the building safely, Alex continues to lean against Sara. That touch, the connection, it has to mean something.

It’s weird how she kind of lost everything she’s been steadily building since moving to National City and yet she has everything she might ever need safe and still standing with her.

 

…

 

“Remember it’s all about balance!” Sara watches Ruby, wearing elbow pads, knee pads, a hot pink helmet, the works, shakily standing on a skateboard. “If your head moves, your body moves, your weight moves. Feet between the bolts, head between your feet, and don’t lock up. Good, Ruby, now front foot forward and push with your back and don’t forget to get your back foot on the board.”

Ruby does exactly as told, legs a little wobbly, but she remains on the board as she cruises down the pavement that cuts through the park. A big grin surfaces on her face as Ruby shouts, “I’m doing it! Mom, look!”

Sam is a little ways away with her phone to her ear, but smiles and gives her daughter a thumbs-up.

“Hey you.” Alex walks up behind Sara and presses a quick kiss to her neck where the scratch from Little Grey has healed, scarred and faded, barely noticeable now. “You know, you are weirdly good at giving direction.”

"Yeah, but you already knew that," Sara rasps right up against her ear, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist and kissing her properly. It’s hard not to smile against her girlfriend’s lips so she doesn’t fight it.

Alex bumps into the blond with her hip, but doesn’t dare move away from the embrace. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. You’re also really good with kids and man-children.”

Resting her chin on Alex’s shoulder, Sara follows her gaze to where Nate and Ray are totally pitching the Waverider to Lena and James while Mick helps himself to his third glass of beer from the keg they tapped right here at the park across from their newly re-constructed apartment building. Amaya, Zari and Kara chat quietly while Winn laughs at Jax checking out Alex’s motorcycle like a kid on Christmas morning. It’s still crazy how their families mesh so well.

A little meow interrupts the comfortable silence and Sara glances down to the cat carrier at their feet. “How did she take to the harness?”

“Not well,” Alex replies.

Sara plops down to the checker-print picnic blanket and opens the metal door. “Come on out, Little.”

“Don’t force her. She will when she’s ready.” Alex settles onto the blanket next to her and Sara drapes an arm around her lower back. They enjoy another moment of silence, taking everything in on the beautiful summer day. “What are you thinking right now?”

“I am thinking about how I got to this point in my life,” Sara replies, tracing a finger over a side seam of Alex’s jeans. “I mean, good friends, hot girlfriend, all that was a given, but a cat? I didn’t see the cat coming.”

As if right on cue, Little Grey crawls out of her carrier, wearing a harness, hooked up to a leash and not liking any of it. “Also…” Sara repositions Little Grey so they’re both facing Alex. “Are you only dating me because my eyes match your cat’s?”

Alex purses her lips and throws up a hand. “You got me. That's my type exactly.”

“Lucky for you, we don’t judge, right, Little?”

The cat yawns and burrows into the little space between the two of them, quickly making herself comfortable.

“What are _you_ thinking about right now?” Sara asks. 

“You.”

Sara laughs louder than she means to. It just bubbles out because _so cheesy_. Her reaction is enough to make Alex blush, her mouth dropping open in mock offense. Too cute.

“What?” Alex overreacts. “Do you want me to lie? Fine. I’m wondering what Amaya is doing after this.”

Sara tracing her fingers along the sliver of exposed skin where Alex’s sweater doesn't quite meet the waistband of her jeans and hooks a hand over her hip. She can’t think of a time where she felt more light or unburdened. “You can’t name my hottest friend when you play like that, Danvers.”

“Um, you know the rest of us can hear what you’re saying, right?” Kara calls over to them.

“Amaya is your hottest friend? Really?” Nate throws his arms out, motioning from his face to his hair and back and forth. “Guys! C’mon!”

“Look what you started.” Alex smacks Sara’s thigh. Her lips part as if to say more, but Sara interrupts her with a kiss. A languid, lazy kiss, but she knows Alex's eyes are closed and when she kisses her back, she means it. It means something. It means a lot. "But seriously, I'm thinking we should go for a drive later. The three of us. You haven't seen Little Grey on my motorcycle yet. She's gutsy for a cat who freaks out at the sound of a car alarm." 

Sara hums and nuzzles against Alex’s shoulder. The damn cat might be rubbing off on her. "Sounds perfect." 

They kiss again and Alex isn’t usually one for PDA, but responds eagerly with tongue and teeth, letting all the noise around them fade away except for the cat purring between them. It definitely feels like she’s willing to make an exception just this once. Maybe just for Sara. Maybe always just for Sara. And the cat. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://beezyland.tumblr.com/)


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